The No. 20 Ole Miss football team held on Saturday afternoon to beat No. 24 Tulane 37-20 on the road in New Orleans, La.
Despite experiencing a series of ebbs and flows, the Rebels managed to win the turnover battle and withstand the road test of their first ranked opponent of the season.
The Rebels opened the game with a 7-0 lead courtesy of a Jaxson Dart pass to Tre Harris for a touchdown. Harris then left the field with an injury and did not return to the game.
Tulane, with the absence of star quarterback Michael Pratt, followed up with a touchdown of their own led by backup Kai Horton to tie the game at 7-7. The Green Wave then took advantage of four consecutive stalled Ole Miss possessions and put together a 17-7 lead.
The Rebels cut the deficit to seven points with a 37-yard field goal from Caden Davis right before halftime.
Ole Miss buckled down in the second half. All-American running back Quinshon Judkins found the end zone to tie the game. The two teams traded a pair of interceptions and Ole Miss capitalized on the Green Wave’s error courtesy of a fourth down completion to Michael Trigg for a score.
The Green Wave proceeded to turn the ball over on downs, with Davis splitting the uprights from 56 yards out. Defensive end Jared Ivey sealed the game for the Rebels with a 26-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to take a 37-20 lead.
Offensively, Dart led the team in passing, completing 17 of 27 passes for 267 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Dayton Wade was the top receiving weapon with 106 yards on seven receptions.
Defensively, Deantre Prince was the bright light, amassing three tackles, two deflected passes, and an interception that swayed the momentum in the Rebels’ favor.
Next up for Ole Miss (2-0) is a home matchup versus Georgia Tech at 6:30 p.m. CT.
